Russia and Austria praise their 'strong ties' Austria's foreign minister, Karin Kneissl, who caused controversy last year by inviting Vladimir Putin to her wedding, meets her Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov four months after she cancelled a trip to Moscow over a spy scandal that soured relations between the two countries. Lavrov said Austria was an "important partner" for Russia, praising their businessmen for "not leaving the Russian market, despite (EU) sanctions". IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES of the meeting and the press conference